Device for converting ordinary clocks into clocks with electric driving means.



Wa'lzzemses:

A. ANDERS. DEVIUE FOR CONVERTING ORDINARY GLOUKS INTO- CLOCKS WITH ELECTRIC DRIVING MEANS. APPLIOATIQN FILED JUNE 19, 1908.

929,53 1. I Patented July 27, 1909.

z/MW

AUGUST ANDERS, Ol Ul-lARL()l. 'TlLNB URG, GERMAN Y.

DEVICE FOR CJY IJVERTING- ORDINARY CLOGKS INTO CLOCKS WITH ELECTRIC DRIVING- MEANS.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Jilly 27, 1909.

Application filed June 19, 1908. Serial No. 439,296.

To" all whom it may concern:

Be it known that i, suect oi. the Empire of Germany, and rcsiding at Charlottenhurg, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in a Device for Converting Ordinary Clocksinto Clocks with. Electric Driving Means, of which the following is a specification.

Clocks with. electric driving means for the moving and striking trains are already well known, their movement being specially con.- structod for the purpose of driving in this manner, or else they require complicated. adaption. No device is, however, known which can be attached. directly to any ordi nary clock driven by a spring or a Weight.

This invention. enables any ordinary clock to he provided with. an electric driving means like elastic element 9 or 10 moved.

A construction of the device applied to a clock, is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a back view with the back plate removed, Fig. 2 a plan, with the push rods and pawl holders controlled by them, re-

Fi 3 showing separately in side elevation t 1e circuit breaker. Fig. 4 is finally a diagrammatic view of the insulating part in front of the contact springs, on an enarged scale. 1 y

The well known electromagnets are marked 1 and the armature controlled by the same, 2. Above the latter are mounted in a rotatable manner two driving levers and 4 provided with adjustable weights and 6 which can he fixed. in any position. levers is used to drivii f the moving train, while the other operates the striking train of the clock.

In. clocks without a striking train, only one driving lever, that for the moving train, is required. Each of the two driving levers 3 and 4 carries two preferably downwardly di rected arms 7 and a, the two arms oi one and the same lever being connected hy a thread The said elements can he constituted in" a gut lino, silk, fine string or wire, and t siou car. he regulated as required by a tonicm dc'dco oi usual construction. Those th read--1- elements carry clamping pl if! and 12 to which are pivoted hiiurcn d push rods 13 and 14. At 15 and 36 the id rods arcade longitudinally adj ustahlo, so ll 2;: t l hi. i r length can be easily modified to AUoUsT Annnns, a

One of i he said.

suit any desired clock. The upper ends of tlreisaid push rods 'arepivote'd to pawl holders 17 and 18 WlUCll are mounted loose on the spindles 1.) 1120 of the wheels 21 and 22 suitable for driving the movingand striking trains of a clock, and carry spring controlled pawls 23 and 24. W hen the weighted levers 3 and. 4' descend, the pawl-s engage with the intervals between the teeth of the corresponding clock Work Wheels 21 and 22 and cause the latter to rotate as the weight descends.

To the'push rod 13 driving the moving train of the clock, is -further pivoted an auxiliary rod 13 connected by means of a spring 25 to a separate pawl holder 17 which ail'ords bearing to the auxiliary pawl Lia The object of this device is to continue to drive the moving train of the clock when an interruptionin the driving of the clock takes place during the springing upward of the driving lever 3, so that no inaccuracy can occur in themovement of the said clock;

The Working of" the said device will he hereinafter described. 7

To one end of the spindle 01"" the armature 2 is secured a rod 27 provided with an adjustahle transverse arm 26, so that it is forced to take cart in the movements of the armature. he opposite end of the armature spindle carries a double armed lever 28, the weights 29. of which are adjusted in such manner that in the position of rest the armature is always in oblique position relatively to the clectromagnets. The position of rest of the armature itself is limited by a light Cir spring, 28 which engages in an elastic inannor with one end oi" the lever 28 connected I to it.

To an insulating part 31 secured to'the bridge 30 are secured spring contacts and 33 which close the circuit soon as they touch each other (Figs. 3 and 4), whereby the armature is brought into the horizontal position. In front of the spring contacts 32 and 33 an arm 34-. is rotatably secured with its upper end on the insulating part 31., the bottom end. carrying a wedge shaped insulating part 35.

-A spring 38 has the tendency always to keep the'said arm out of engagement with the spring contacts 32 and 33. second. arm 37 arranged on the arm 34, carries at its hack end a block .38 beveled in gable lorm, the point of. said block being pressed by the action of the spring 36 against constantly with the driver 41, the disk 39 rotates until the point of the block 38 resting on the same, springs into the recess, and the s ring 36 which is released, withdraws the ever 34 carrying the insulating part 35.

Owing to the withdrawal of the insulating part 35, the spring contacts 32 and 33. touch each other and close the circuit, whereupon the device becomes operative, in the following manner -The closing of the circuit forces the eleetromagnets 1 to attract the armature 2 with a jerk, that is to say, they bring it into a horizontal position. At the same time, the rod 27 secured to the armature, s rings upward and projects upward one or 0th weighted levers 3 and 4 by means of its transverse arm 26. The said levers 3 and 4 by means of the rods 13 and 14 turn the pawl holders'17' and 18 to a certain extent about the spindles. 19 and 20 of the clock work wheels 21 and 22 (on which the said holders are mounted). As soon as the drivin movement is completed, and the pawl ho ders are about to move back, their spring controlled pawls 23 and 24 engage with the teeth of the clockwork wheels 21 and 22, whereby the action of the weights 5 and (iis transmitted to the clockwork wheels and rotates them. The levers 3 and 4 sink again slowly until they come into contact with the driver 41. The driver moves downward, the disk 39 being simultaneously rotated until the block 38 springs into the recess of the disk 39, and the circuit is closed, whereupon the process described is repeated. Im

lever controlling the moving gear mediately after the closing of the circuit, a spring connected to the driver 41 forces it back into its original position, whereby the disk 39 is turned back, which results in the block 38 being again forced out from the recess of the disk and brought back on to the circumference of the disk.

When the clock is striking the weighted lever 4 controlling the striking gear, will of course sink more quickly than the wei hted of the clock. Consequently, for each stroke, a new current impulse will be necessary for throwing the weighted lever upward again. .The

. lever of the moving train need not, however,

always partici ate in the said impulse, which depends entire y on the position which it oc- .eupies relatively-,t0 the striking gear lever.

In order to avoid any interruption of the regular movement of,the clock during the throwing upward of the lever 3, a device already referred to in the beginning of the specification and acting in the following manner is used. As soon as the weighted lever 3 begins to sink downward, carrying with it the rod 13, it comes nearer to the rod 13" pivoted to it, and places the spring 25 in tension, the auxiliary pawl holder 17 being driven at the same time. At the moment of the next upward movement of the driving lever 3, the-compressed spring 25 forces the auxiliary pawl holder upward. The auxiliary pawl 23 secured to the same, engages with an interval between two teeth, so that the force of the spring 25 can act on the circumference of the wheel and rotate it until the weight of the weighted lever can take its place.

\Nl'iat I claim as my invention. and desire.

to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In clock provided with arrangements for converting mechanical operating means into electrical operating means, the combination with an armature, eleetro-magnetic means for operating the armature, a lever. connected with the armature and provided with a cross rod, a pair of levers, resiliently supported abutmentsd) and 10 on the respective lovers, the driving shafts of the striking and the moving works being provided with a carrier loosely mounted thereon, a ratchet on each of said carriers, ratchet wheels connected with the said works and o erated by said ratchets, and adjustable rods connecting said abutments with said carriers.

2. In an electric clock-driving device, an armature, controlling magnets therefor, means for controlling current through said magnets, an arm connected to said armature, independent driving levers engaged during movement of said arm, downwardly extending rigid arms upon said levers, thread like elastic elements between said arms, means for regulating the tension of said elements, pawl holders and pawls connected with the gear trains of the clock, and means connecting said driving levers with the pawlholders and pawls whereby the gear trains of the clock are operated.-

3. In an electric clock-driving device, an armature, controlling magnets therefor, means for controlling current through said magnets, a transversely bent arm connected to said armature, independent driving levers engaged during movement of said arm, thread like elastic elements upon said levers, pawl holders and pawls connected with the gear. trains of the clockand adjustable rods connecting said levers with the pawl-holders and pawls whereby the gear trains of the.

armature, controlling .magnets therefor, an

arm connected to sald armature, independnt driving leversen aged during movement of said arm, thread li e elastic elements upon said levers, a driver operated by contact of a said elements on the movement ofsaid levers, means operated by said driver for controlling-current through the magnets, pawl holders and pawls connected with the gear trains of the clock, and adjustable-rods connecting said levers with the pawl-holders and pawls whereby the gear trains of-Ythe clock are operated.

5. In an electric clock-driving device, an armature, controlling magnets therefor, an arm connected to said armature, independent driving levers engaged during movement of said arm, thread like elastic elements upon said levers, a driver operated by contact of said elements on the movement of said le, vers, an insulated'wedge operated by said driver for controlling current through the magnets, spring contacts ada ted to be separated by said wedge, pawl ho ders and pawls connected with the gear trains of the clock,

and adjustable rods connecting said levers with the pawl-holders and pawls whereby the gear trains of the clock are operated.

6. In an electric clock-driving device, an armature, controlhng magnets therefor,

means for controlling current through said magnets,.a' transversely bent arm cqnnected to said armature, independent driving levers engaged during movement of said arm,

thread like elastic elementsupon said levers,- pawl' holders and pawls connected with the gear trains of the clock, adjustable rods connecting said levers with the pawl-holders and pawls whereby the gear trains .of the clock' are operated, and means upon'one of said rods formaintaining the gear trains in mo= tion during the upward movement of the driving lever.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed 

